Six: The Red Array.
Myron had finished setting up his makeshift encampment and checking his fortifications by three A.M., and felt that his preparations would suffice. It seemed as good a time as any to rest, because he would be spending the bulk of the next day simply walking the streets of Silent Hill.
As Myron sprawled out across his surrogate bed, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of influence the town might have on his mind. Even as he slipped into a dreamless sleep, Myron's mind refused to leave the subject.
Some hours later, around nine in the morning by Myron's judgement, he awoke to find the same eerie whiteness filtering in through the few unboarded windows in the bowling alley. His back was slightly tweaked from resting on his awkward bed, but otherwise he felt relatively refreshed.
"How odd.." Myron said, staring at the locked front doors. The fog had neither lifted, nor thinned, since he had fallen into slumber. He would have thought that it would at least be lighter thanks to the rays of the morning sun. Myron decided that it was of no real importance, and set about the business of preparing for his journey into the town proper.
He collected his maps, his guides, a few packets of jerky, a meal and several bottles of water. He felt he may need the flashlight, and was sure he should never forget his pistol. It may be foolish of him to feel unease in a town as quiet and dead as Silent Hill, but he would feel a bit safer having his sidearm at hand.
It was some fifteen minutes later, after he had planned his path for the day, that he had made his way out into the fog. He checked his position as he reached the first available intersection, and turned to the right, down Caroll Street.
The streets were devoid of sound or movement, save for his own footsteps. Myron knew from a partial directory that he had obtained that the Heaven's Night Gentleman's Club would be to his right as he headed south on Caroll. After he passed that, he could take a left and continue east into Old Silent Hill.
Myron took the time to stop by any Newspaper Boxes along the road, examining the headlines. They all seemed to be from the exact same day, and really held very little interesting news. He considered momentarily whether or not he should break open one of the machines and take a paper for posterity, but decided against it. It would likely just fall apart, anyway.
The walk down Caroll was uneventful, even a bit boring. Somehow, Myron had felt sure that he would experience some immediate revelation about the nature of Silent Hill, that he would understand it's influence on those who entered it's borders.
He came to the next Intersection, left onto Rendell, and stopped. Something...Strange seemed to be visible through the fog. The road surface at the center of Rendell seemed to have been littered with something red.
Myron approached and squinted through the haze, examining the red objects spread evenly across the road. They formed a circle of thirteen, and each object was rectangular. They were the color of rust, and seemed to have been pegged to the street with heavy, rusted bolts.
Paper. The thirteen items forming a circle in the street were, in fact, pieces of strangely colored paper. They were blank, devoid of markings or images, and actually appeared to be sodden with some liquid. He grimaced for a moment and then reached out, running a finger over the surface of the nearest piece.
It felt vaguely sticky and cold, and the contact with it seemed to bring on an overwhelming sense of nausea. He withdrew his hand suddenly and grimaced, straightening up once more and stepping around the makeshift symbol.
"Well, someone's got a warped artistic vision...It doesn't even mean anything." Myron decided that it would be as good a time as any to get his Cell phone out and take a picture. His Motorolla Phone had not worked since he had entered Silent Hill, but hopefully his camera would still function. Sure enough, he found that it did, indeed, still allow him to take digital photos.
He lined up the odd array in his viewfinder and clicked a pair of photographs, smiling to himself. If he could get it by the Publisher, he could use this for a cover. Or, at the very least, an insert or promotional.
He examined the thirteen red pages for another few moments before dismissing them and continuing on his way. He had more exploring to do, and restored faith that he'd discover far more interesting sights in Silent Hill.